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Then use your own hands. I cannot. Master has bound them behind my back. That is in case you try to leave. A slave has no place to go. If I tried to leave my master, I would be punished. If you left me, your papers would be returned to the Sarabandi and you would end up staked out in the desert to die. There would be no second chance. Remember that& your life depends on me. Never try to run away. Yes, master. Your slave knows that. She is thankful that Master took her as a slave instead of leaving her to face the fate of traitors. But& But what? Why did master seek my life as his reward? I am not worthy of such a price. That is true, however, I didn t like the idea of a young girl being sacrificed to pay for the sins of her father. While that is the law of the Sarabandi, it is not a law I would support in Thurgan but we are 249 THE RIDE TO REVENGE bound to support the judgment of the Sarabandi council. You will live, but you must also learn humility. Pride doesn t befit a slave. Yes, master, Rona murmured, tears running from her eyes. Jason stooped down and effortlessly raised her in his arms. He undid the chain binding her to the foot of the couch. Your training will now finish for the night, but don t think that it s ended. He pressed his lips against hers, then lowered her to the couch. She fell back, her thighs parted. He drove into her. She was wet and more than willing. She screamed once, then moaned in her throat. Jason smiled. Rona would be a willing and eager slave. She wouldn t take as long to train as he had thought. But he must never forget that she was a slave, the daughter of a traitor, who could never be pardoned. * * * As the first rays of the sun rose over the sea, Jason willed himself to the top of the temple s highest tower. He faced in the direction of Thurgan and concentrated. A faint disturbance occurred in his thought patterns. He concentrated harder. His mind touched the mind of a child. The thought patterns appeared to be those of Sarsi. He spoke gently to her, giving her a message for Charni. In two days he would be leaving for home. He instructed Sarsi to have Charni tell Thorsan to meet him with his warriors at Entonia. He would be coming from the sea. Sarsi couldn t make out what he meant. He thought quickly, then told her to tell Charni he would be coming on a floating log. Sette sent the ships of his two sons to transport Jason in honor to Entonia. He was loath to see the warrior leave, but was happy when Jason assured him he would return as often as his duties in Thurgan would let him and he would bring Charni when her health permitted. Jason made Carto promise to work on new items for his show. He also made him agree to bring the entertainers to the cities of the plains when they tired of Sarando. The two silent blonde girls had blossomed since their return to the 250 THE RIDE TO REVENGE city. Jason had obtained their slave papers and destroyed them in front of their eyes. They were now free women. They were offered passage to Thurgan or any other city they wished. They elected to remain with the entertainers. Mira was the biggest surprise of all. Jason found she also had the power to receive messages in her mind. He had been looking at her while she had her back turned, admiring her body, when she had sent her own thoughts directly to his, challenging him to make good his idle wishes. While he was still standing there in surprise, she turned and threw herself into his arms. She had always been able to read minds, but Jason was the first person with whom she had been able to communicate with without words. She would be part of his chain of communicators. Sette and the council were at the jetty to see Jason embark. He looked back toward the city. It must be deserted; they all appeared to be at the harbor. Parcus and Estela were on the same vessel as Jason, Rona knelt at his side. Jason no longer kept her naked, but had given her a short slave tunic. It did nothing to hide her body, but she wore it with as much pride as she had worn some of her most expensive robes in the past. To her it was a symbol that she had found favor in her master s eyes. 251 THE RIDE TO REVENGE CHAPTER 32 RETURN TO ENTONIA Thorsan stood on the sand hills overlooking the harbor that had once been Entonia. The dead had long since been buried and the returning citizens had started to remove the rubble that clogged the streets. Some of the old buildings had been destroyed to clear spaces for temporary shelters for those returning to their city. There was listlessness, though a reluctance to resettle in case the Sarabandi pirates returned. Thorsan sensed a lack of leadership. Rubble was cleared from one site only to be stacked in a site also recently cleared. At that rate it would take many seasons before the city could be rebuilt. The castle hadn t been touched. It was being retained as a memorial to the family of their beloved leader. His body had been found and given a ceremonial burial, but nothing had been heard of the fate of his wife and children. It wasn t known if they were still alive and slaves of the 252 THE RIDE TO REVENGE pirates, or if they had been killed and their bodies dragged away and eaten by the wild dragas that roamed the plains at night. Sarsi had told Charni Jason would be coming back to Entonia. Why return to this desolate place? And how did he expect to return from the sea on a floating log? It was a strange message; it didn t make any sense. Sarsi had been certain that she had heard Jason in her mind. Charni was equally sure the message was genuine. It had been a long ride, but Thorsan had pushed his men and they had arrived many erns earlier than they expected. They had brought extra horses. Thorsan wasn t sure how many extra people would be returning with Jason. If he was making the journey alone, he would have expected Jason to have used his magical powers. Therefore he must have visitors with him. An excited shout came from the lookout on the hill. He could see [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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